Mine Not Mine May Try Stakes Off Impressive Maiden Win
Laurel to Host Stallion Showcase 2019 Saturday, Nov. 30

LAUREL, MD – Seeking a change of fortune after racing primarily in California, the connections of stakes winner Raging Whiskey are hoping to find greater success in the Mid-Atlantic.

Pappas Horse Racing Corp. and Charles Bartlett’s Raging Whiskey, bred in Maryland by Finn’s Nickel LLC and Anchor & Hope Farm, will make his state debut in Saturday’s $100,000 James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel Park.

Second choice on the morning line at 7-2 behind narrow 3-1 favorite and fellow graded-stakes placed Tuggle, Raging Whiskey will break from Post 4 of eight under Laurel fall meet-leading jockey Sheldon Russell.

Raging Whiskey will be making his first start for Laurel-based trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer after being in the barn of two-time Kentucky Derby (G1) and 2012 Preakness (G1) winner Doug O’Neill in southern California, where the Bourbon Courage colt made six of his seven starts, two of them wins, including the Capote Stakes Sept. 21 at Los Alamitos.

“He’s been with us for about a month. Doug called me up and asked me if I’d be interested in taking him. A horse of that caliber, you always want to have one like him in the barn,” O’Dwyer said. “Same ownership, they wanted to send him over here because he’s Maryland-bred, which is nice.

“Doug and his team do a great job of picking out nice horses. It didn’t matter that he was Maryland-bred necessarily, it just mattered that he was a nice-looking individual and he really is,” he added. “We’re just glad to have him here. They’ve thought highly of him and it’s worked out so far. They’re looking for the opportunities back here in the Mid-Atlantic, which suit him. He can run in this open stake and then come back for the Maryland-bred stake next month.”

Laurel will host two more juvenile stakes before the end of the calendar year – the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity for Maryland-bred/sired horses Dec.7 and the open $100,000 Heft Stakes Dec. 28, both at seven furlongs.

Raging Whiskey has worked twice for O’Dwyer since his arrival, going five furlongs in 1:02.60 Nov. 2 and a half-mile in 47.80 seconds Nov. 9, the latter ranking second of 42 horses at the distance.

“We give him a nice strong breeze last weekend just to make sure he was going to be plenty fit enough and he took it well and had a nice blow and I’m happy with where we’re at right now with him,” O’Dwyer said. “I think we have him in a nice condition.

“His first breeze I gave him was on the easier side. Just wanted to let him acclimatize here. I’m a big believer that they don’t lose a lot of fitness when they’re training every day,” he added. “He just had a maintenance breeze first time and then last week we gave him a good, strong breeze to clear his pipes and make sure he’s plenty fit enough coming in here.”

O’Dwyer’s friendship with trainer Jack Sisterson, a former assistant to O’Neill who played a prominent role with both his Derby winners, led to Raging Whiskey landing in his barn. The Sisterson-trained Lexitonian was stabled with O’Dwyer prior to his victory in the Concern Stakes July 14 at Laurel.

“Jack put Doug in contact with me so I have to thank him for that. Jack and Doug were talking about where they could send him and Jack put my name forward. He’s a great fella,” O’Dwyer said. “When he sent [Lexitonian] up here he shipped in to us and we looked after him for a few days before the race. I have a good relationship with Jack. He’s been doing well. He’s a good horsemen and trainer, as well.”

Mine Not Mine May Try Stakes Off Impressive Maiden Win

The $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity for Maryland-bred/sired 2-year-olds Dec. 7 at Laurel Park could be next for Joseph Besecker’s Mine Not Mine, a last-to-first winner of his unveiling in Thursday’s opener.

Fall meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez said Friday morning that the Golden Lad colt emerged from his three-quarter-length triumph in good order.

“Everything’s OK,” Gonzalez said. “He ate up good and he’s looking really good, really happy.”

Breaking from Post 2 under Alex Cintron, Mine Not Mine got pinched back after a slow start and found himself trailing the field of seven for a half-mile as Final Proof set fractions of 23.98 and 47.82 seconds. Cintron swung Mine Not Mine five wide on the turn and they took command, prevailing after an extended drive in 1:38.45 for one mile on a fast main track.

“He didn’t break that good and babies first time when they don’t break good and they receive dirt in the face, it’s not too good,” Gonzalez said. “But he got behind horses and he wasn’t scared about the dirt and that was a big deal for him. He ran really, really good.”

The Maryland Juvenile Futurity, contested at seven furlongs, is one of four stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses worth $350,000 in purses on the Dec. 7 program. Last year’s race was won by Alwaysmining, the second of his six straight wins and first of five straight stakes victories.

“It’s too early to say. We’re going to see day by day how he is and we’ll make a decision, but that’s supposed to be the next step,” Gonzalez said. “When he started to breeze he was doing really good. When we put him in company, he always beat the other horse.”

Laurel to Host Stallion Showcase 2019 Saturday, Nov. 30

Complementing a full card of live racing that includes a quartet of $100,000 stakes, Laurel Park will host Stallion Showcase 2019 Saturday, Nov. 30 spotlighting various breeding operations in Maryland.

Grade 1-winning millionaires and local sires Imagining of Anchor & Hope Farm and Force the Pass from Wasabi Ventures Stallions will be present at the show, which begins at 8 a.m. in Laurel’s historic paddock and offers free breakfast.

Imagining, trained during his career by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey for Phipps Stable, fellow stallion Bourbon Courage and a group of yearlings all survived a massive fire in the 90-year-old main barn at Anchor & Hope Aug. 12.

Other farms participating in Stallion Showcase 2019 are Northview Stallion Station, Country Life Farm, Bonita Farm, Shamrock Farm, Murmur Farm and Winding Creek Farm. Representatives will be available during a luncheon in the Ruffian Room, located on Laurel’s second-floor clubhouse, starting at 12:30 p.m. for one-on-one conversation and giveaways.

Training at Laurel will be suspended Nov. 30. Representatives from all participating farms will also be on hand to talk about their stallions during the morning show.

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